Why do humans get hot at temperatures near their body level?

Question

Shouldn't we be cold at 80 degrees? If not, then why isn't our temperature lower and more accustomed to the average climates?

Answer 1

Clearly what we have here is a failure to grasp the scientific essence of the thing, namely, that the air temperature has to be lower than body temperature if you're to cool yourself efficiently.

Your body is a little fuel-burning engine, and like all engines generates waste heat. That heat has to go somewhere, lest you pop a gasket. The easiest place to put it is someplace cooler, such as the air around you. However, if the ambient air temperature is the same as your body temperature, you have to go to great lengths to shove the waste heat out into it, e.g., sweating like a pig or going out to K mart to buy an air conditioner.

What we want, therefore, is an ambient temperature that lets us dump waste heat with the least strain. From experience we know this temperature is 68 to 72 degrees F. If you're very lightly dressed you may prefer 80. But even if you're starkers there's no way you'll be happy when it's 98 in the shade.

Answer 2

First of all 80 degrees is not cold. It's bloody hot. Use SI units people don't use farenheit anymore.

Now your body is constantly producing heat like an engine. Muscle movement, pumping blood all require energy which is generated by our metabolism. This production of energy is not 100% efficient (also like an engine) so the unused heat is lost to the surroundings (i.e. the body tissue). That heat is then lost to it's surroundings (i.e. the air). The latter heat flow depends on the temperature difference between one's body and the room temperature, i.e. it needs a temperature differential (cooler in the room hotter in the body) to flow. If the heat flow from the body is in balance with the one generating heat then one is warm.

So at 40 degrees say, although it is cooler than your body temperature, you will feel hot because your body will be giving off less heat than it's gaining internally. As such your body temperature will rise until it reaches such a balance.

There is a fair range of temperatures that we can consider warm (18-35 degrees) due to the ability of the body to adjust it's rate of metabolism as well as sweating in order to increase the rate of cooling.

Answer 3

there is nothing special about 98.6 F that makes it feel hot.

in fact, 92 F feels pretty hot too.

your brain decides what is "hot" . "hot" for some people can be comfortable for others.

a temperature as high as 125 F can be compatible with human life ( eg kalahari bushmen ).

our temp must be maintained at 98.6 F because the CHEMICAL REACTIONS that occur in our body REQUIRE it ( i.e. enzymatic processes ).

in summary, human life is compatible with a temp range of 50 F to 125 F BUT what is perceived as COMFORTABLE is strictly up to mental discretion.

hope it answers your question ! :)

Answer 4

People in nursing homes are cold at what we would call normal temperatures. This is because they have lost their ability to control their temperature.As the temperature goes up our body is less able to disperse the heat it creates with daily excercise. This gets worse as the humidity gos up because we are less able to sweat to control our temp.

Answer 5

our temp. near the surface of out body is MUCH cooler than our internal temp. of 98.6